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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-07-22 Public Comment - C. Lawrence - Application 22005 (North Central)From:Carrie Lawrence To:Anna Bentley; Agenda; Cyndy Andrus; Terry Cunningham; I-Ho Pomeroy; Jennifer Madgic; Christopher Coburn Subject:Application 22005 - public comment Date:Monday, March 7, 2022 9:01:16 AM Attachments:image001.png image002.png image003.png image006.png image007.png image008.png image009.png Appeal 22005 - public comment.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Good morning City of Bozeman Community Development Division, Mayor Andrus, Deputy Mayor Cunningham, and fellow Commissioners: Please take into consideration the information compiled below, as well as attached, related to a complicated, detailed plan that will forever change our downtown. I respectfully present this information prior to Tuesday’s public hearing to allow time for thought and consideration. Thank you. Kind Regards, Carrie Lawrence Administrative Director Direct: 406-414-8931 Main: 800-445-2995 or 406-586-1311 OFF THE BEATEN PATH 7 EAST BEALL STREET, BOZEMAN, MT 59715 Travel with us to the confluence of journey & destination, where the heart of the traveler meets the soul of the place, that’s where you will find us…off the beaten path. Respectfully submitted by Carrie Lawrence, 7 East Beall, Appeal 22005 COMMITMENT BOZEMAN, OUR HOME GEM OF MONTANA The charm, culture, character, and sense of community makes Bozeman the place we lovingly call home. • Downtown is the heart and soul of our community. • Downtown is a patchwork quilt from the eclectic northside to the refined southside. Students, cowboys, ranchers, professors, families, the young and old, it is what we love and hold dear. • Change is hard. Growth is inevitable. How it occurs is in your hands. A great responsibility. • Bozemanites’ hearts are aligned in wanting to do the right thing. We are passionate to save the soul of our place, our home. • Working from the mind and the heart, with the best of intentions, the paths diverge on how we confront change and growth. It is driven by money, sustainability, and equity. • Your duty is to assess the economic, environmental, and social aspects of change to our downtown. A great responsibility to contemplate and reflect. North Central Master Site Plan affects 4.4 acres of downtown Bozeman. It is in the heart of our patchwork quilt. Inconsistent information was presented to the public and remains on file. What is being built? • Application summary shows 367 dwelling and 541 off-site parking spaces. • Staff report indicates 493 dwellings and 646 off- street parking spaces. This is over a 20% increase. The Henry, one of the approved buildings within the Master Plan is showing many of the 44 units with sales already pending. The units are selling around $1,000/square foot and over $1 million. Is this equity? Locals are being pushed out. Parking supply is a critical issue downtown. The Walker Study confirmed that the public parking garage is already at maximum capacity. Controlling parking demand downtown and paid parking are inevitable but it does not address supply. Yes, other means of transportation should be encouraged, but supply must immediately be addressed with growth. COMMUNITY CULTURE Respectfully submitted by Carrie Lawrence, 7 East Beall, Appeal 22005 Developers have a community responsibility to provide adequate infrastructure. Section 38.230.100 A.1 – 6.a.1. of the COA criteria. North Central Master Site Plan parking data reveals the following: • Developer/Staff Report summary: 493 residential dwellings and 646 parking spaces o Reality: 493 residential dwellings and 379 parking spaces (114 dwellings without parking or 23%) • Developer/Staff Report summary: 167 non-residential parking spaces required o Reality: 47 non-residential parking spaces will be available. (140 of the stalls used in the developer’s calculation are “ghost stalls” related to special improvement districts dedicated prior to the 21 century and related to old buildings downtown, such as the original Hospital. These building are being torn down for greenfield construction.) • Developer/Staff Report summary: 646 parking spaces for the North Central Master Site Plan o Reality: 426 parking spaces will be built for the North Central Master Site Plan. (80 spaces have already been designated for the AC Hotel parking.) • All of this lends to a 220-parking space shortfall from what is presented by the developer. A 34% reduction. Reductions were allowed in the off-street parking calculations for items like proximity to public parking spaces which we know are already full. Pursuant to 38.250.030.H, BMC. Where are employees, businesspeople, and restaurant proprietors and patrons going to park relative to the retail and commercial spaces being built? Great pressure is being placed on the parking bubble. Is this socially, economically, or environmentally responsible or equitable? The threads of our patchwork quilt are unravelling. The heart and soul of downtown will forever be changed. I ask the Commission to overturn the administrative project decision. 38.250.030.J, BMC. Please recommend that each of the 9 buildings be reviewed individually, rather than as a “condition” of approval of the overall Master Site Plan.